Each Pixel
by Angel449
Summary: A simple gift has the power to communicate volumes.


A/N: Hi! Here is a challenge I am doing. I immediately fell in love with the theme so I had to participate. I hope that everyone enjoys. It was REALLY hard to keep it less than 1000 words so give me some credit, lol.

Summary: A simple gift has the power to communicate volumes.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Inuyasha characters. They belong to the great Rumiko Takahashi.

**Issued By:** Michiko  
**Theme:** Her Heart-Shaped Locket  
**Author:** MM: Angel4life, FF: Angel449  
**Rating:** PG (PG-R; no smut!)  
**Word Count:** 999 title and notes don't count (1,000 words MAX)  
**Objective:** Interpret the theme (her heart-shaped locket) anyway you wish. Write a short one-shot within 1,000 words with that as your theme, using any genre, and any pairing, as long as it somehow includes the heart-shaped locket Kagome gave to InuYasha in the 2nd movie.

**Each Pixel**

The sun shone as Kagome climbed out of the well. She was carrying her normal backpack…but she had something different in it this time.

Kagome had walked two steps when Inuyasha jumped out of a tree and landed right in front of her.

"You're late."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Nice to see you too. I was getting something that I want to show everybody."

"What?"

"I'll show you _and_ everybody else."

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"Okay, we're all here. What did you bring?"

Kagome sat in Kaede's hut with Sango, Miroku, Shippo, Kirara and Kaede. She smiled and pulled a new, high-tech digital camera from her bag.

"This is a camera. It is something that people use in my time to capture special moments."

Every person in the cabin looked blank.

"Shippo, come and help me," Kagome requested.

The kitsune bounced over to Kagome. "I will do my best," he said in an adorably serious voice. "What do I have to do?"

"Smile."

Shippo looked surprised but he obeyed.

Click!

Shippo flashed up on the LCD screen and Kagome showed the picture to the other inhabitants.

"Fascinating…" Miroku murmured.

"That machine colours really fast!" Shippo shouted.

"Take some more!" Sango exclaimed.

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"Please Inuyasha?"

"No."

"It's just one picture."

It was hard but Kagome was determined to have a picture of Inuyasha.

She had a picture of Miroku with his arm around Sango (both of them smiling), she had a picture of Shippo posed with a transformed Kirara, she had a picture of Kaede, and more.

"How about _just_ _one_ with Tetsusaiga?"

Inuyasha thought it over and finally grumbled, "Only one."

"Great!"

Inuyasha unsheathed Tetsusaiga and rested it on his shoulder.

"Smile!"

Inuyasha glared at the camera.

"Close enough…"

Click!

Kagome viewed the picture. With Inuyasha's expression and Tetsusaiga, he looked like he was facing a foe. "Thanks."

"Keh."

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"You want a group picture?" repeated Inuyasha when they were back in Kaede's hut.

"Yes!"

"That sounds wonderful!" Sango said.

"Would ye like me to take the picture Kagome?" Kaede asked. "That way, ye can be in it too."

Kagome smiled gratefully. "I would love that." She quickly taught the elder miko how to use the camera before turning to her travel companions.

They were standing stiffly in a straight line.

Kagome walked over to them. "Look like you know each other," she admonished. When they didn't move, she sighed and began positioning them herself.

When she was happy, she took her place beside Inuyasha. Just before Kaede clicked the camera, Kagome whispered to Inuyasha, "Think of Naraku dead."

Inuyasha smirked.

Click!

Kagome rushed over to Kaede. When she saw the picture, she smiled widely and gave her a hug. "It couldn't be more perfect."

"Can I see it Kagome?" Shippo asked.

Kagome looked at the photograph again and was suddenly struck with her best idea ever.

"Not now."

Miroku looked confused. "When?"

"Soon." Kagome smiled mysteriously.

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Kagome ran up to her bedroom and grabbed her debit card. She would be spending a lot of money but it would be worth it.

She had asked Inuyasha if she could have one more day in her time (to secretly put her idea into action). Inuyasha had refused.

So she sat him.

Kagome honestly felt bad about it, but if all went well, he would be okay when he saw her surprise.

She ran back downstairs and out the door.

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Kagome was frustrated. During the last three hours, she had been to several shops, but none carried what she needed. She was beginning to lose hope.

Feeling exhausted, she walked into the next store.

An elderly man greeted her. "Hello young lady, can I help you?"

"I hope so." She explained what she was looking for and the man smiled.

"I think I may have what you are looking for." He led her to the counter and pointed to a locked glass box resting on it. Inside it…

"Pick anything you like. They're all real so they're waterproof too." He unlocked the case.

Kagome looked at the different colours, shapes, and sizes. She lifted an object, half the size of her thumb, from the case and gazed at it. It was breathtaking. She turned it over and gasped. Perfect.

"Five of these."

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Kagome climbed out of the well as quickly as she could. To her surprise, Inuyasha was leaning against it, waiting for her.

"Hi," she said. "I got you something."

Kagome reached for her neck and took off one of the five necklaces that she was wearing. She gave it to Inuyasha. "Here."

Inuyasha looked surprised but he took her offering and observed it.

It was a golden chain. On it, there was…a gold locket. However, it was slightly different than the one that she had given him after Naraku's fake death.

Inuyasha looked at her. "How did you know the old one broke?"

"I didn't," she replied honestly.

Inuyasha looked back at the locket. This one was also heart-shaped. It had silver trim, ribbon and heart designs on the front, and a small diamond-like stone in the centre.

"Open it," Kagome encouraged.

Inuyasha opened it and his eyes widened when he saw the picture Kaede had taken. There were Miroku and Sango standing in each other's loose embrace on the left. To the front and middle, Shippo grinned with his arm around Kirara. And…to the right side of picture, Kagome stood with Inuyasha. Her arm hid behind his, giving the illusion that they were together.

Inuyasha closed the locket and his eye caught an engraved kanji on the back. It said…

Family.

"I want to make sure that you, Sango, Miroku and Shippo always know that you have a family. Each pixel on that photograph will remind you of that," Kagome said.

Inuyasha didn't know what a pixel was but it didn't matter. He looked at the locket in awe.

Kagome was about to leave (to give everyone else their presents), when she heard Inuyasha's voice.

"Thank you Kagome."


End file.
